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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,477 records · Page 82
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Electron distribution functions in solar flares from combined X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet observations

Simultaneous solar flare observations with SDO and RHESSI provide spatially resolved information about hot plasma and energetic particles in flares. RHESSI allows the properties of both hot (≳8 MK) thermal plasma and non-thermal electron distributions to be inferred, while SDO/AIA is more sensitive to lower temperatures. We present and implement a new method to reconstruct electron distribution functions from SDO/AIA data. The combined analysis of RHESSI and AIA data allows the electron distribution function to be inferred over the broad energy range from 0.1 keV up to a few tens of keV. The analysis of two well-observed flares suggests that the distributions in general agree to within a factor of three when the RHESSI values are extrapolated into the intermediate range 1-3 keV, with AIA systematically predicting lower electron fluxes. Possible instrumental and numerical effects, as well as potential physical origins for this discrepancy, are discussed. The inferred electron distribution functions in general show one or two nearly Maxwellian components at energies below ∼15 keV and a non-thermal tail above.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The formation of kappa-distribution accelerated electron populations in solar flares

Driven by recent RHESSI observations of confined loop-top hard X-ray sources in solar flares, we consider stochastic acceleration of electrons in the presence of Coulomb collisions. If electron escape from the acceleration region can be neglected, the electron distribution function is determined by a balance between diffusive acceleration and collisions. Such a scenario admits a stationary solution for the electron distribution function that takes the form of a kappa distribution. We show that the evolution toward this kappa distribution involves a 'wave front' propagating forward in velocity space, so that electrons of higher energy are accelerated later; the acceleration timescales with energy according to τ{sub acc} ∼ E {sup 3/2}. At sufficiently high energies escape from the finite-length acceleration region will eventually dominate. For such energies, the electron velocity distribution function is obtained by solving a time-dependent Fokker-Planck equation in the 'leaky-box' approximation. Solutions are obtained in the limit of a small escape rate from an acceleration region that can effectively be considered a thick target.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

THE MASS DISTRIBUTION FUNCTION OF PLANETS

The distribution of orbital period ratios of adjacent planets in extrasolar planetary systems discovered by the Kepler space telescope exhibits a peak near ∼1.5–2, a long tail of larger period ratios, and a steep drop-off in the number of systems with period ratios below ∼1.5. We find from these data that the dimensionless orbital separations have an approximately log-normal distribution. Using Hill’s criterion for the dynamical stability of two planets, we find an upper bound on planet masses such that the most common planet mass does not exceed 10{sup −3.2}m{sub ∗}, or about two-thirds of Jupiter’s mass for solar-mass stars. Assuming that the mass ratio and the dynamical separation (orbital spacings in units of mutual Hill radius) of adjacent planets are independent random variates, and adopting empirical distributions for these, we use Hill’s criterion in a statistical way to estimate the planet mass distribution function from the observed distribution of orbital separations. We find that the planet mass function is peaked in logarithm of mass, with a peak value and standard deviation of logm/M{sub ⊕} of ∼(0.6−1.0) and ∼(1.1−1.2), respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-Frequency Signature-Based Fault Detection for Future MV Distribution Grids

Increasing penetration levels of inverter based distributed energy resources (DERs) impact the legacy distribution system protection. Inverter based DERs provide approximately 1.2-2 pu fault current. In systems with high penetration of inverter based DERs, it is difficult for over-current based protection schemes to differentiate between normal loading conditions and a fault. Directional, distance, and adaptive forms of protection schemes are also affected by low fault currents. This paper analyzes fault generated traveling wave (TW) based high-frequency signatures in the distribution system. In order to simulate such signatures, frequency-dependent distributed parameter line modeling approach is used in this research work to represent distribution lines and underground cables. Modified IEEE 13-bus medium voltage test system is modeled in electromagnetic transient simulation tool and multiple transient scenarios are simulated in this test system. The results are analyzed to understand the high-frequency signatures that can be used to detect and locate faults under high penetration of DERs.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
DOE OSTI2018

Ensuring System Reliability: Distributed Energy Resources and Bulk Power System Considerations

Rooftop solar energy, storage batteries, and electric vehicles are changing the way people use and produce electricity. These are among the growing set of technologies called distributed energy resources (DERs) because they are typically connected to the utility at the medium-voltage distribution system. In general, the utility distribution system connects substations to homes and businesses. The effect of DE Rs on operating the power grid has been dramatic and exciting, and they provide both challenges and benefits to the entire grid: spanning utilization, distribution, and transmission voltage ranges. The zero-carbon resources among the broader family of DE Rs are critical in complying with state and federal energy policies. This, in turn, has required grid operators, utilities, regulators, consumer advocates, and lawmakers to reach out across traditional domains to engage in the robust dialog and coordination needed to integrate distribution-level resources to the larger high-voltage grid and the networked bulk power systems (BPSs).

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Consensus-Based Approach for Active Power Control and Reserve Estimation in Distributed PV Systems

With the increased adoption of distributed energy resources (DER), they are expected to contribute to power system reliability services and enhance power system stability. This paper presents a distributed consensus control approach for the real-time active power reserve estimation and power management in distributed PV (photovoltaic) systems. The proposed method estimates the cumulative active power reserve from numerous PV generators using only the sparse communication network for a DER aggregator to provide active power regulation services. The real-time active power reserve estimation using the proposed approach can be used by DER aggregators to manage curtailment in distributed PV systems to maintain stipulated reserves and further to provide power system frequency regulation. Using the proposed approach, the DER aggregator only requires measurements at the feeder substation and it does not require information from individual DER units, thereby improving system resiliency. The proposed distributed consensus control method is validated on IEEE 123 testbed using PSCAD simulations.

active power reserve↗
DOE OSTI2022

Post-Disaster Microgrid Formation for Enhanced Distribution System Resilience

This paper proposes a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based approach for post-disaster critical load restoration in active distribution systems to form microgrids through network reconfiguration to minimize critical load curtailments. Distribution networks are represented as graph networks, and optimal network configurations with microgrids are obtained by searching for the optimal spanning forest. The constraints to the research question being explored are the radial topology and power balance. Unlike existing analytical and population-based approaches, which necessitate the repetition of entire analyses and computation for each outage scenario to find the optimal spanning forest, the proposed approach, once properly trained, can quickly determine the optimal, or near-optimal, spanning forest even when outage scenarios change. When multiple lines fail in the system, the proposed approach forms microgrids with distributed energy resources in active distribution systems to reduce critical load curtailment. The proposed DRL-based model learns the action-value function using the REINFORCE algorithm, which is a model-free reinforcement learning technique based on stochastic policy gradients. A case study was conducted on a 33-node distribution test system, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach for post-disaster critical load restoration.

active distribution systems↗
DOE OSTI2018

Integrated Multi-Scale Data Analytics and Machine Learning for the Distribution Grid

We consider the field of machine learning and where it is both useful, and not useful, for the distribution grid and buildings interface. While analytics, in general, is a growing field of interest, and often seen as the golden goose in the burgeoning distribution grid industry, its application is often limited by communications infrastructure, or lack of a focused technical application. Overall, the linkage of analytics to purposeful application in the grid space has been limited. In this paper we consider the field of machine learning as a subset of analytical techniques, and discuss its ability and limitations to enable the future distribution grid. To that end, we also consider the potential for mixing distributed and centralized analytics and the pros and cons of these approaches. There is an exponentially expanding volume of measured data being generated on the distribution grid, which, with appropriate application of analytics, may be transformed into intelligible, actionable information that can be provided to the right actors - such as grid and building operators, at the appropriate time to enhance grid or building resilience, efficiency, and operations against various metrics or goals - such as total carbon reduction or other economic benefit to customers. While some basic analysis into these data streams can provide a wealth of information, computational and human boundaries on performing the analysis are becoming significant, with more data and multi-objective concerns. Efficient applications of analysis and the machine learning field are being considered in the loop. This paper describes benefits and limits of present machine-learning applications for use on the grid and presents a series of case studies that illustrate the potential benefits of developing advanced local multi-variate analytics machine-learning-based applications.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Matrix Completion for Improved Observability in Low-Voltage Distribution Grids

This paper considers the problem of recovering missing entries in a partially observed matrix from relatively few measurements (i.e., the so-called matrix completion problem) with the aim of increasing the presently limited observability of low-voltage distribution grids. To this end, the partially observed matrix is formed using scarce voltage magnitude measurements while accounting for their spatial information. Voltage readings are assumed to be collected from distribution utility sensors and/or geographically-distributed cable television network sensors located in immediate proximity to distribution grid nodes. A matrix completion approach built on the parameter-less singular value shrinkage technique is used to estimate voltage magnitudes at otherwise non-observable low-voltage nodes using a small number of single- or multiple-snapshot data. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated using a U.S.-style distribution test system from the synthetic SMART- DS data set under very low- to moderate-observability conditions.

low-rank matrix completion↗
DOE OSTI2018

Distributed Load Sharing Under False Data Injection Attack in an Inverter-Based Microgrid

In microgrids, distributed load sharing plays an important role in maintaining the supply-demand balance of power. Because false data injection (FDI) is one of the crucial threats faced by future microgrids, the study of the impact of FDI on distributed load sharing is both of theoretical merit and practical value. Here, we consider the distributed load sharing problem of the microgrids operating in autonomous mode under FDI. Each bus is assumed to be equipped with an agent. Under a well-developed distributed load sharing protocol based on multiagent systems, we first construct an FDI attack model, where the attacker is capable of injecting false data into the bus agents. Finally, a utilization level is introduced for coordinating generators, and its variation is evaluated in the presence of FDI attacks with given injection strategies. The stable region of the microgrid is defined, and conditions are given to determine stability. In conclusion, theoretical results are validated on the Canadian urban distribution system.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Inverse Calculation of Burden Distribution Matrix Using B-spline Model Based PDF control in Blast Furnace Burden Charging Process

The inverse calculation of burden distribution matrix (BDM) is one of the most important challenges in the blast furnace operation in iron-making processes. In general, blast furnace consumes 65% of the total energy for the whole steel-making. Focusing on this practical challenge, this article proposes a new burden distribution spatial model in calculating burden charging process, and develops a B-spline approximation-based probability density function (PDF) control algorithm to assign the expected thickness distribution of burden layer and, thus, develops a new method for the required inverse calculation of BDM. First, a novel method for the thickness distribution of burden layer is given using B-spline model to produce an expected distribution shape subjected to a desired tracking within a specific spatial constraint. Then, according to the coexistence of continuous and bounded discrete variables in BDM, a novel hybrid optimization control method by combining integer programming and PDF tracking is further established for the effective inverse calculation of BDM. Finally, the proposed PDF-based iterative inverse calculation of BDM using B-spline models are tested using various data from industrial examples. Furthermore, the simulation results show that the proposed method is well suited to solve the BDM inverse calculation problem in practice.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Three-Phase Unbalanced Transient Dynamics and Powerflow for Modeling Distribution Systems With Synchronous Machines

Unlike transmission systems, distribution feeders in North America operate under unbalanced conditions at all times, and generally have a single strong voltage source. When a distribution feeder is connected to a strong substation source, the system is dynamically very stable, even for large transients. However if a distribution feeder, or part of the feeder, is separated from the substation and begins to operate as an islanded microgrid, transient dynamics become more of an issue. To assess the impact of transient dynamics at the distribution level, it is not appropriate to use traditional transmission solvers, which generally assume transposed lines and balanced loads. Full electromagnetic solvers capture a high level of detail, but it is difficult to model large systems because of the required detail. This paper proposes an electromechanical transient model of synchronous machine for distribution-level modeling and microgrids. This approach includes not only the machine model, but also its interface with an unbalanced network solver, and a powerflow method to solve unbalanced conditions without a strong reference bus. The presented method is validated against a full electromagnetic transient simulation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Optimizing Power–Frequency Droop Characteristics of Distributed Energy Resources

This paper outlines a procedure to design power-frequency droop slopes for distributed energy resources (DERs) installed in distribution networks to optimally participate in primary frequency response. In particular, the droop slopes are engineered such that DERs respond in proportion to their power ratings and they are not unfairly penalized in power provisioning based on their location in the distribution network. The main contribution of our approach is that a guaranteed level of frequency regulation can be guaranteed at the feeder head, while ensuring that the outputs of individual DERs conform to some well-defined notion of fairness. The approach we adopt leverages an optimization-based perspective and suitable linearizations of the power-flow equations to embed notions of fairness and information regarding the physics of the power flows within the distribution network into the droop slopes. Time-domain simulations from a differential algebraic equation model of the 39-bus New England test-case system augmented with three instances of the IEEE 37-node distribution-network with frequency-sensitive DERs are provided to validate our approach.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Optimum Aggregation and Control of Spatially Distributed Flexible Resources in Smart Grid

This paper presents an algorithm to optimally aggregate spatially distributed flexible resources at strategic microgrid/smart-grid locations. The aggregation reduces a distribution network having thousands of nodes to an equivalent network with a few aggregated nodes, thereby enabling distribution system operators (DSOs) to make faster operational decisions. Moreover, the aggregation enables flexibility from small distributed flexible resources to be traded to different power and energy markets. A hierarchical control architecture comprising a combination of centralized and decentralized control approaches is proposed to practically deploy the aggregated flexibility. The proposed method serves as a great operational tool for DSOs to decide the exact amount of required flexibilities from different network section(s) for solving grid constraint violations. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through simulation of three operational scenarios in a real low voltage distribution system having high penetrations of electric vehicles and heat pumps. Finally, the simulation results demonstrated that the aggregation helps DSOs not only in taking faster operational decisions, but also in effectively utilizing the available flexibility.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

A Penalty Scheme for Mitigating Uninstructed Deviation of Generation Outputs From Variable Renewables in a Distribution Market

With rapid growth of distributed renewable generation, the establishment of electricity distribution markets has attracted widespread concerns. Different from existing transmission grid-scale electricity markets, an electricity distribution market is featured by numerous small-scale prosumers, and zero marginal cost and intermittency of renewable generation units. Against this background, this paper first extends an average pricing market (APM) mechanism for pricing renewable generation outputs with zero marginal cost in the distribution network concerned. Then, to mitigate the uninstructed volatility of renewable generation outputs and power demand, a penalty scheme is proposed for deviations between the real-time demand/output and market cleared bid/offer, with frequency regulation service (FRS) from energy storage systems (ESSs) considered. It is proved that the market volatility can be well controlled within an expected limit through properly setting the penalty prices for load demand and generation output fluctuations. Also, with this mechanism a non-negative market surplus could always be attained. Case studies are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed distribution market mechanism and penalty scheme.

electricity distribution market↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Network-Aware Distributed Energy Resource Aggregation Framework for Flexible, Cost-Optimal, and Resilient Operation

To efficiently use the ubiquitous behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution systems for providing grid services, this paper presents a hierarchical control framework for DER optimal aggregation and control. We first develop a convex optimization model to evaluate the DER flexibility, and then use a convex model-predictive-control based approach to dispatch those DERs. The hierarchical control framework consists of a utility controller, community aggregators and multiple home energy management systems. The flexibility of the DERs is evaluated by each controller in the hierarchy such that the resultant flexibility is feasible given its operational domain. Based on the determined flexibility, the hierarchical controllers then compute optimal setpoints for the DERs to help the distribution system regulate node voltages and provide other distribution grid services. Numerical simulations performed on a model of a real distribution feeder in Colorado, using actual DER data in a residential community demonstrate that the proposed approach can effectively alleviate voltage issues and support resilient operation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2013

Strategy Guideline: Compact Air Distribution Systems

This Strategy Guideline discusses the benefits and challenges of using a compact air distribution system to handle the reduced loads and reduced air volume needed to condition the space within an energy efficient home. Traditional systems sized by 'rule of thumb' (i.e., 1 ton of cooling per 400 ft 2 of floor space) that 'wash' the exterior walls with conditioned air from floor registers cannot provide appropriate air mixing and moisture removal in low-load homes. A compact air distribution system locates the HVAC equipment centrally with shorter ducts run to interior walls, and ceiling supply outlets throw the air toward the exterior walls along the ceiling plane; alternatively, high sidewall supply outlets throw the air toward the exterior walls. Potential drawbacks include resistance from installing contractors or code officials who are unfamiliar with compact air distribution systems, as well as a lack of availability of low-cost high sidewall or ceiling supply outlets to meet the low air volumes with good throw characteristics. The decision criteria for a compact air distribution system must be determined early in the whole-house design process, considering both supply and return air design. However, careful installation of a compact air distribution system can result in lower material costs from smaller equipment, shorter duct runs, and fewer outlets; increased installation efficiencies, including ease of fitting the system into conditioned space; lower loads on a better balanced HVAC system, and overall improved energy efficiency of the home.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evaluating Domestic Hot Water Distribution System Options with Validated Analysis Models

A developing body of work is forming that collects data on domestic hot water consumption, water use behaviors, and energy efficiency of various distribution systems. Transient System Simulation Tool (TRNSYS) is a full distribution system developed that has been validated using field monitoring data and then exercised in a number of climates to understand climate impact on performance. In this study, the Building America team built upon previous analysis modeling work to evaluate differing distribution systems and the sensitivities of water heating energy and water use efficiency to variations of climate, load, distribution type, insulation and compact plumbing practices. Overall, 124 different TRNSYS models were simulated. The results of this work are useful in informing future development of water heating best practices guides as well as more accurate (and simulation time efficient) distribution models for annual whole house simulation programs.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗